Bouncing off the floor.

[Phil Gerke]

I have heard of and occasionally seen lights being bounced into the floor. What motivates this desicion? Or rather how is this most commonly used?

 

I can imagine certain situations, but I'd like to understand this better.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Phil

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

I only do it when I have a hot back or top light and can just put a bounce card in to get some more detail in my actor's faces.

 

It's also great for exteriors if your actors have an exchange where they're walking around and crossing quite often. You can just place a whole bunch of foamcores or a giant white sheet on the floor and let them walk all over it.

[David Regan]

I've seen it done with a Source 4 and white foamcore on the floor.

[Michael Nash]

Haven't you ever observed real sunlight streaming in through a window, and bouncing back up off the floor -- and noticed the beautiful soft glow from below it gives to objects and people that pass through it? Some of the most beautiful interior light I've ever seen in real life comes from sunlight at a low angle, naturally bouncing off surfaces inside the room.

 

If I had more time I'd try to find some images to post that illustrate this.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

I use this quite often. Mainly as a faint "jaw"-light, as I like to call it. It's basically a low, backy rim that can be used to pick up the jawline on an actor (either when he's front on or when he turns his head). Did it yesterday by bouncing a cut 2K into the white studio floor.

[Hal Smith]

Overdone (sometimes on purpose) it gives a very "vaudeville" look to people. Have a look at "We Both Reached for the Gun" in "Chicago" for an extreme version of the look. I would be pretty certain that Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer used footlights there but it does demonstate what a lot of low angle light looks like.

[Phil Gerke]

Thanks guys! Great pointers. I'll definately remember the sheet/foamcore on the ground suggestion. It seems that this gets used as fill, but also people use it to create a lowangle sourse.

 

Michael and Adam I think you guys addressed just what I have been most puzzled about. Using the bounce not just as a means of fill, but more as a low angle light. Obviously some experimentation is involved, but my fear is that in the hands of a novice, low angle lighting could get pretty rediculous pretty fast. If its motivated, (such as the sun) I feel more confident, but as an unmotivated source it seems a bit slippery.

 

Adam you mentioned using this as a "jaw light". Just for the sake argument, why not use a low angle, softlight? What about bouncing the light, makes it more desirable? I'm asking because I am thinking about trying this with a setup I have coming, again your example seems unmotivated and I am curious.

 

Thanks a lot!

[robert duke]

you might also try to bounce the light off of just the floor, natural light bounces the colors of the room/floor/tablecloth, etc. I worked with one DP who had art dept paint 4x4 luan sheets the color of the walls to use as bounce to bring those colors into his lighting. It looks beautiful. I love the source four bounced off of a table for an intimate moment betwix two people.

[Chris Keth]

Adam you mentioned using this as a "jaw light". Just for the sake argument, why not use a low angle, softlight? What about bouncing the light, makes it more desirable? I'm asking because I am thinking about trying this with a setup I have coming, again your example seems unmotivated and I am curious.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

I can't speak for Adam, but here's my guess:

 

If it's bounced you may be able to have a light sourced from within the bounds of a shot, where a soft light (which have to be large a lot of the time) couldn't be hidden.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

I can't speak for Adam, but here's my guess:

 

If it's bounced you may be able to have a light sourced from within the bounds of a shot, where a soft light (which have to be large a lot of the time) couldn't be hidden.

 

Exactly. It keeps the set clearer and makes it softer or more from an angle that might be favourable. But I do sometimes get a direct source in there - often the very

usable Rifa-light will do this job nicely. Kino's work too, it's just that I'm still in my no-Kino phase so I never order them anymore. :blink:

[Rupe Whiteman]

... Oliver Stapleton is known for using low bounced sources for fill... sometimes off of silver etc... to mimic the bounced ambient light you get from sunlight in a room...

[Ram Shani]

"it's just that I'm still in my no-Kino phase"

 

you clear something for me its being along time now that i order kinos and never use them on set or maybe for back light i don't know way i don't like how they look on peoples faces

 

i think that low angel bounce depend on the scene you shoot

 

maybe it look good but doesnt good for the mode of the scene then it will look unreal and ridiculuos

and if it good for the scene it will look real and beautiful

 

so use it right :)